Adventures in a New Land

Last weekend, we went on an adventure to a new land. Sean had told me about a "musical road" where there are treads on the asphalt that when you drive on it it plays a tune. While looking where it was located online, I found a nearby park with a pond. So we journeyed out to the new land. 

The musical road was pretty neat. We drove over it a couple times before the girls were bored of it. We found the beautiful Apollo park, the only large grouping of trees your eyes could see across the dry desert. It was a good size park with a large pond full of ducks and geese. The park had many play areas that the girls could trample all over. The walking paths were nice as well too. The girls found the different ducks and geese interesting to look at. We even looked up a few of their names online. 

We have had a good week so far at school and yesterday I surprised the girls with cookie decorating. I made the cookies during the day and after homework the girls sat at the counter and decorated their six sugar cookies. So now we have sugar cookies topped with more sugar! Yay!

Teacher parent conferences were this morning. Sean and I met with both girls teachers. The girls are getting a lot better in school but they still need to keep at it. 

Now we are home for the rest of the day. The girls just finished a movie filmed in Albuquerque called "Saige Paints the Sky". Now we are going to do some reading and get ready for lunch. 

Here's a peek at my backyard today:

The Second...

Today, like all days, I picked up the lovelies from school. They are both having really good days at school now with no issues. S came running out with a plastic tooth in her hand and telling me that she lost her tooth. She caught me off guard and then she smiled and I could see that her other loose tooth came out. She then proceeded to tell me that she lost the tooth. Somehow it fell out of the little plastic tooth holder the school nurse gave her. She was a little worried that the tooth fairy would not come because she did not have the tooth. I told her that she can leave the tooth fairy a note and hopefully she will come and leave her something nice. 

Now I am blogging from our second trip to the library. So far it's going better than the first trip. They are a little more prepared for what to expect and they are taking their time looking for books and going through the racks. I read a couple books so it would help them calm down and have a clearer mindset on what books they should pick. They seem to be enjoying their time here. 

Next, we plan on walking through the farmers market and then home for dinner. Have a good night! 

Moving Right Along

Each day, we are getting more and more into a routine. M&S are doing really well with a schedule and with doing the same thing each day. Keeping it simple is key! Which fits in well with us, as we are pretty simple. The same thing each morning and afternoon, and then throw in some fun things on the weekend. 

This past week, the girls met their Aunt Erin! Their meeting was great! They love meeting new people and since Erin was able to stay with us for awhile, they really got to know each other pretty well. We surprised the girls with a fun Saturday adventure. I had told them that we were going to go hiking up a mountain that could be magical. They worked hard all week at being good and worked to earn "tickets" to be able to go. We all got ready Saturday morning and headed out to Santa Clarita to go "hiking".  The two were surprised when we pulled into an area where they could see a few large roller coasters. To their surprise we were spending the day at SIX FLAGS - MAGIC MOUNTAIN! They were both so happy and thoroughly excited! We gave them some rules on behavior at the park and explained how the day was going to go and hit the ground running! Overall, it was a really great day. We had a couple issues towards the end of the day, S kept asking for us to buy things (which was one of our rules) and since we kind of left abruptly, M didn't understand and was upset we had to leave. Other than that, and getting soaked on the first ride, it was a super day! 

Some have asked about having a "baby" shower, but since we are adopting a 6 & 7 year old a shower didn't seem like the right thing to do. So, last week I sent out letters to our family and close friends about our new arrivals. We extended an open invitation to those that would like to visit, Skype, call, or mail us. A couple people asked for more information about the little lovelies as well. Here's what I can share with you. M is 7 and loves pink, horses, and princesses. S is 6 and loves blue, soccer, and Cars. Both girls wear sizes 7-8-9 in clothes, size 1 shoes. They have soccer class on Saturdays and will be starting gymnastics too. Let us know if you would like any other information about them. They are a blessing and are learning that this is their forever home. 

Let Me Tell You About Our Weekend

Our Saturday started out like the past Saturdays ... Soccer class at 9 am. The class was amazing and the girls love going to soccer. They have a great coach that plays, warms them up, teaches them moves, and talks with them about confidence and team work. After soccer we came home and played nail salon. Both girls had mani-pedi's in purple and pink. Our plan for the day was to drive to Sean's Aunt and Uncles in LA. They invited us over to some play time in their hot tub and dinner. The girls love going places and seeing new things. 

Some of you know that Sean had been away in Mississippi for NCO school. He has been gone for the past 3 weeks. So it's just been the girls and I for the most part. Well, Sean surprised me by secretly flying back to LA Friday night (due to the government shut-down). He didn't tell me until Saturday before the girls and I  to LA. 

I was so excited! So happy that he would be coming home with us. Thrilled that the girls would have their dad back and we could continue our family bonding. We were at his family's house for about an hour and then there was a knock on the door. Aunt Catherine opened the door and to the girls surprise, there was their DAD!  They were shocked! S couldn't believe her eyes! M was speechless! He stood there with open arms waiting for hugs, but the girls could not move. So I jumped up and gave him hugs and kisses. S soon was able to move and give her dad a hug. We turned to M and she was gone. All the excitement made her upset and she went and hid behind the door. When we found her, we had a little chat about what happened and she was upset that no one told her that he was coming home. I also believe that M knew that her 'mom' time would be over and she would have to listen to two parents now at home. Soon she warmed up and was able to give her dad a hug. 

The girls spent a couple hours in the hot tub splashing around and then we had a delicious dinner outside. We came home with two tired little lovelies. 

The girls will get to meet their Aunt Erin this week. We have plans for tons of fun!

The Tooth Fairy is Coming Tonight!

It's pretty exciting that the tooth fairy is coming to our house tonight. It's the first time a fairy will be in our house! Little S had this loose tooth for quite awhile but it seemed like she did not want it to fall out. She let me try to pull it a few times but I didn't want to hurt her. Finally tonight I had her wiggle it with her tongue 3 times, then use her fingers 3 times, and then Try to twist it 3 times. It finally came out. She was so happy when it came out! She even went around to all 3 dogs and told them. We found a little jewelry satchel to put it in for the tooth fairy. We just hope the tooth fairy knows our new address! 

The Magical Beach

All I can say is the beach was absolutely amazing! It seemed like the girls were the happiest they have ever been in their whole lives.  They loved the waves, the sand under their feet, and the sun on their little faces. 

At first they were hesitant and couldn't tell what the waves would do or how high they would go, but that didn't last long. Before I knew it, they were both in with waves coming in over their heads! 

I feel so blessed that one of my best friends Stephy was able to spend the day with us. The girls love her and loved dragging her out into the bigger waves. Sean's best friend also came out to meet the girls and they were instantly drawn to him. It was nice seeing the girls interact with others in a fun, playful way. Sean's Aunt and Uncle also joined us for awhile and got to see some of the fun and big smiles on their faces. 

After our beach time, Stephy and I walked the girls on the busy Santa Monica Pier. They did really well and loved being able to overlook the water. 

A super day ended with two, I mean three, very tired girls.